Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns freedom arms revolvers???

Anybody ever owned or tried shot a freedom arms revolver?
I own a couple of 3 screw rugers.
Once handled a STI texican.

How do they compare?

If it was me I would check the number if pieces in the hammer.

Freedom Arms revolvers are top-notch. I don't know anything about STI, but an average FA will trump about any stock Ruger.

I've owned a Premier grade .454 Freedom Arms for the past 15 years. While Ruger's are well made and I like em, the FA is far superior. It had better be too, as the price is 3-5 times as expensive as a Ruger!!

+1

I own a premier grade model 83 in 454 Casull. A fine weapon. My Ruger does not hold a candle to it in either accuracy or quality of construction. Well worth the money, in my opinion.

I own the Freedom Arms in 454 and it is the best well made single action i have owned and fitted much better than my Rugers. The are not cheap but worth the cost if you have the funds to spare.

By the time you invest money in a Ruger to make it all it can be, you could've had a Freedom Arms.

I believe you may be right on that statement but I still like my Rugers.

Why is the gun so common in 454?

I own a smith 17 - 2 and 29 - 2.
The feel of quality is in the trigger, action, closing the cylinder. Even the sound.

I expect the FA to be a notch even better.
And unlike the smiths built like a hammer.

Please if you can describe what makes the FA single action better...

Because the 454 was what it was designed for.

I am not a gunsmith. But I will explain the best I can. I believe they call the process "line boring". They actually put the cylinder in the revolver then drill the cylinder. So they are aligning the cylinder up perfectly with the bore of the revolver. This is just one of the custom features they do when manufacturing the revolvers. You are basically buying a custom revolver. They are even a few steps above the Performance Center S&W's.

The 454 was their flagship cartridge. that is why so many 454's.

I had a Field Grade 454. It was a real dandy. 100 yard+ shooter with no problems.

Overall they are just a well made piece of American engineering.

The Ruger revolvers are also good revolvers. But you are not really comparing apples to apples. You are comparing custom manufacturing to mass production. Tom.

Line-bore chambering is accomplished by chambering each chamber in exact line with the bore, as the cylinder is locked as rigidly as it will be when the revolver is shot. The lock-up is achieved using the revolver�s own components. A slow process to be sure, but it does produce the most accurate revolver.
You are right, when you buy a Freedom Arms you are buying a custom revolver. No fair comparison when you compare them to the Ruger.

I've never handled a FA Revolver, but I hope I get to own one some day. Question about their micarta grips - are they big enough for a person with a normal sized hand to fit all their fingers, including their pinkie, on the grip? Or are they like Ruger's SA grips?

Didn't they split off from North American Arms? For a while, they were both making nearly identical guns, too.

I have two Model 97's and several Rugers. I like the Rugers a bunch, but the FA's are just built like a swiss bank vault. Extremely tight tolerance control, top notch materials and strong design. I bought one of them new, and it still had the prussian blue in the cylinder notch cutouts, from where they fitted it up.

I miss my FA Casull 454 sold it years ago when we had major medical bills to pay. The was without a doubt the finest revolver I ever owned.

What is the size difference between a 97 and a 83?

Like a blackhawk to a super blackhawk?

I'll jump in here..your size comparison analogy is as good as any..

Ive handled a number of Freedom Arms, and especially like the model 97s..

I personally regard their revolvers as the finest American Made Firearm Ive ever seen...JMHO..

Ingwe

The 83 is their original heavy duty frame and the 97 is more the size of a Colt SAA....but built MUCH stouter.

I had a 6" 83 in .454. Ended up selling it when I realized it was starting to damage my wrists and right elbow...and I wasn't even running "full" loads. About the time I decided to sell it someone on GunsAmerica put an identical one up for sale in .41 Magnum. The barrel had even been Mag-Na-Ported. As soon as the .41 was in hand the .454 was gone. The gun is a Premier Model with black Micarta grips. Didn't like the ramp front sight so I had Clement Custom Guns make a two bar Keith long range front sight blade....now it is perfect.

If you think the .454 can't hurt you, email John Tiffin some time. I emailed with him several years ago and he told me what the years of shooting these heavies has done to his hands, wrists and elbows...no thanks...

As to the quality..you just have to shoot one to understand. I call them Swiss Tanks....

Bob

The gripframe on an 83 is a little longer than a Super Blackhawk. You get a full 4-finger grip on the gun...

Bob

I've got a 5-1/2" Ruger Bisley in both 45 Colt and 44 Mag. Both have had work by Dave Clements and the total price for each was probably over $1,000. The .45 is still a 6-shot and neither is magna-ported. I typically shoot the .45 with hot handloads - 325 Gr. Cast loaded with heavy doses of H-110.

Recently bought a used .475 Linebaugh FA with custom-order 5-1/2" barrel and double magna-port. Loaded up 20 rounds with 425 Gr. cast and heavy H110 load. I took both the .45 Ruger and the .475 FA out and shot the Ruger first. Heavy kicker. Shot the .475 FA and it was much more pleasant to shoot with the magna-port.

More info than you wanted, I know. But the FA's quality and fit is far and away better than the Rugers. I agree that it's best to buy a FA than to hop up a Ruger. My FA is a field grade with special-order micarta grips and express sights. I still want a Ruger Bisley done by John Linebaugh - maybe in a .500 Linebaugh. But the .475 with magna-port definitely scratches my itch for now. It's a fun one to shoot and I hope to try it out on hogs this spring.

You won't be disappointed with the Freedom Arms, I can guarantee that.

tikka, if you are aver around southern illinois stop in. yo can shoot mine all you want. i have a m83 preimere grade. awsome gun

My Model-97 FA in .45 Colt is the perfect size packing pistol. It's nice and light, EZ to carry on a belt holster and has the power with handloads to take down any critter I may encounter. I have NO problem controling it even with the hottest handloads and recoil is MUCH easier on the hand than my Red Hawk. With the Ruger after about 5-6 rounds of a MAX load you don't want to shoot any more!! The Ruger will 'beat the fire'out of the palm of your hand with VERY sharp recoil!! The FA's grip frame doesn't transfer the sharp recoil to the palm so they are much more pleasent to shoot. The only problem one will encounter with the M-97 is the short cylinder length when reloading heavier bullets. Overall length MUST be kept to 1.625 or the bullet will protrude from the cylinder, tying up the gun.
I generally load a 250 gr. hard cast bullet for around 1000 fps which is very accurate and pleasent to shoot, this load will accomplish anything I may ask of it in the field.

red monkey, did you say you were going to sell the 97.

I don't understand the scope of your query. I own FA 83s in 475 Linebaugh and 357 Magnum, FA 97s in 45 Colt, and Ruger SRH 480s. What is your interest? Please be as specific as you can.

i think he is just getting a feel if they are worth the $$$$$$ and yes they are. i have a 83 that has 2k full house 454 loads through it and it is still tighter than a new ruger.

As stated by many above the Freedom Arms is a much better built firearm. If you really look at one the finer tolerances and quality are very apparent when compared to a Ruger. That said, I shoot a Ruger Super Black Hawk Hunter model with a Leupold scope in 44 Mag. It has done everything I've asked of it without a hiccup. I have a buddy that owns three F/A's that I get to drool over each deer season, but then his yearly salary is probably twice mine.....and he's single.
If you can afford a F/A's handgun by all means do it, you won't regret it. My .02 cents.

I also have a sbh hunter in 45lc. it will shoot with my freedom arms at 100 yds.
2" 5 shot group from both guns. now these groups are not commen but they happen once in a while.

if ruger made a bisley in 454 i might mot have purchased my 83.

Sure it's for sale. I'll take not a penny less than $5,000.00 for it. Just let me know where my FFL dealer needs to ship it and we can deal.

I have a bunch of Ruger single actions and they are good guns, but my Premier Grade 83 .475 Linebaugh is another grade of firearm. Well worth the cost of admission.

The ONLY thing that's stopped me from investing in FA revolvers is their stainless construction. Stainless just leaves me cold, and I can't help it. But the fact that FA builds a handgun equivalent to a Swiss watch is almost enough to sway my thinking. In the mean time I'm doing just fine with my collection of Timex Rugers.

I'm just the opposite i don't like the blue guns. Two of my Rugers Super Blackhawk 44 mag and Bisley 45 LC.

Wow thanks for the offer.
But I am in Alberta, Canada.
A long way off.

thats how i feel about my 83. i need to get a 97. i have 2 rugers in 45lc. just not the same

[quote=Naphtali]I don't understand the scope of your query. I own FA 83s in 475 Linebaugh and 357 Magnum, FA 97s in 45 Colt, and Ruger SRH 480s. What is your interest? Please be as specific as you can.

My interest is owning a quality SA revolver and target shooting.

My question was open ended enough for guys to share any opinions or technical info they want.
I am leaning towards a model 97 in 38/357.

The 454 is a very respectable caliber. But I will not be hunting with this gun.
And I want something I can shoot when I am 65.

[quote=RJM]The 83 is their original heavy duty frame and the 97 is more the size of a Colt SAA....but built MUCH stouter.

So I once ruger old vaquero, so the 97 is about that size?

Thanks for your honesty and the reality check Bob.
I was hard on my wrists years ago when I worked construction.
I am 51 and I do want to be shooting for many more years.

I have been thinking of sending mine back to Freedom Arms and having the barrel shortened to 4&3/4 to make easier to carry in the field, plus I'm partial to short barrel handguns.

no doubt the 454 is not the choice for plinking.

The Model 83 was first released in 1983 and as others have stated, it is the heavy frame built stout for the 454 Casull. The Model 97 was first produced in 1997 and, again, is more on the lines of a Blackhawk, framewise... lighter than the Model 83 and not as stout, but a very fine revolver.

I have the Mod 83 in Casull with the 7.5 inch barrel and a Model 97 in 357. Both are the 'field' grade.

I have had 3 model 97's - a 4-1/4" 357, 5-1/2" 44 Special, 5-1/2" 45 Colt. I bought the 44 new, the other two used. I have since sold the 45, as with heavy loads the trigger guard rapped my knuckle pretty good. I think your approach with a 357 is a good one. Only problem I've encountered is that the cylinder is relatively short, so if you intend to shoot keith SWC's, they may be too long when crimped in the crimping groove, and require crimping over the front driving band. This may or may not be a problem for you, depending on if you are a traditionalist or not. I have gotten around it two ways - one is indeed crimping over the driving band - it shoots fine. The other is loading it as a 38/44 heavy duty round in 38+P cases and crimping in the crimp groove - it shoots fine this way, too.

My 357 has an octagon barrel and micarta grips - both nice options. If I could do it all over again and only have one, I would opt for a 4-1/4" octagon 44 special, with the round butt and micarta grip options.

Tom what is special about micarta grips?

I have a smith model 27 - 2 square butt and a 625 - 2 round butt.

I shoot the round butt better.
Seems the whole right hand including pinky finger gets more involved in accuracy. Hard to explain I guess.

What do you like about yours?
Any photos?

That is why I went to the .41 Magnum...it will do whatever needs to get done without also doing you in. The 83 in .41 is really overkill and with Mag-Na-Port it is a real PussyCat even with heavy cast loads.

As to the Micarta grips, they are just an attrative extra. From what I have read the laminated wood grips will sometimes crack under the stress of heavy loads.

The question sometimes arises as to why not just download the .454 or get a second cylinder in .45 Colt...(my gun had one). My answer is if I wanted a .45 Colt I would buy one... I bought the .454 to shoot .454s...

There was a one of a kind 97 in .41 Magnum on GunBroker some time back.... 4.25" barrel, factory custm action job with trigger overtravel stop and ROUND BUTT frame with black Micarta grips... It sold for $1950.00.

Bob

I'll try to take some pics of them tonight and post them up. The Micarta just feel a bit smoother in my hand. The rosewood grips are really nice, too....

They are tight, however;

There are too many parts in the hammer for my liking.

It may be built like a Swiss watch, but I never had to hunt with a Swiss watch.:-)

Line boring is nice, but a properly built cylinder is going to be at least as accurate.

The Ruger cylinders are longer, the custom ones even more so. And I beleive, correct me if I'm wrong, the Rugers have a larger OD, hense the need for smaller rims on the 475 rounds when used in the FA.

A good revolver.

Have owned three different FA .454's, still own one-
Have owned three different Ruger revolvers, still own two-

Here's the comparison:

FA=Leica
Ruger=Bushnell

FA=Mercedes
Ruger=Chevy

You get the picture.

Are FA's worth the money? Yep.

Would I spend my money on one? Nope.

There's just too many cool things that can be done to a Ruger for the same money.

I'm getting in late on this thread. Just found it and last week I bought a FA 97 in .45 Colt. Also it has the extra .45 ACP cylinder. For a guy that has several Ruger SA and one Colt New Frontier you can believe me when I tell you that the FA is way ahead of the others in of terms quality. There seems to be less and less things made in the USA but the FA is one of the QUALITY items that still is. Like everything else... quality cost more.

Who has a good stock of model 97's at a fair price???

You can get them on the Gun Auctions like GunBroker.com or like I got mine. My Doctor buddy at the Hospital i worked at order the Model 93 , had it Ported, and Sling Stud installed, he then proceeded to shoot it about 12 times and that is all it took. He beeped my beeper and ask me to meet him in the Doctor Lounge. I did and he said i have a present for you and hand me the 454 and three boxes of factory ammo and said take this dam thing it is yours because i know you can handle it , kick to dam much for me and that is how i got mine. Didn't cost me nothing . Pays to have good friend with more money than they need.

Call the factory and ask...there are several large stocking dealers. If you put Freedom Arms in the GunBroker search box I know one of the dealers is Taylor's Trading Post in Pennsylvania...they are not exactly "lowball" hwever. But they sometimes have 20 in stock.

Bob

I am looking for a 7-1/2" Model 97 in 357 myself.I talked to Freedom Arms today,and they provided me with two dealers that have 97s in 357 in stock.Taylors is one of them,and the other is a former Freedom Arm exec that runs a small shop.

Wish list includes one in 45 colt with 5.5" barrel and matching 22 lr.

moosemuncher,

That would be a very sweet combo!

Stubblejumper here is a 6" at a good price.

http://www.levergunscommunity.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=26172

Sorry it's a 83

Damn, I wish you guys would let this thread die.

I spoke with Taylors,and they have no 357 Model 97s in stock right now.A 97 in 357 with 5-1/2" barrel,action job and overtravel screw runs $1869 from Taylors,so it is about $200 cheaper than buying direct from Freedom Arms.
With used guns running around $1500 or more,I would rather buy a new one.

At this point Tikka3006 and myself are making arrangements to order a pair of 97s in 357.The guns will take about 12 weeks to build,and exporting will add another month or so,so we hope to have the guns by late summer.

Oh yeah! all a deer, black bear, hog, squirrel hunter would ever need. A very classy way to kill soda cans as well...

So about $3800.00 or so... a very fine wish list IMO. Checking this thread could get expensive.

I had a smith 27 - 2 and a 29 - 2.
When I held a 625 - 2 with the round butt I thought it was made for me.
I still have all 3 smiths but go to the round butt 625 the most.

Also I have a old 3 screw blackhawk and have no complaints about the factory grips.
Thought it took a couple of years for the grip shape to feel natural.

I am considering model 97 in 357. Or maybe the 44 special.
Anyway I do like to shoot the lighter loads.

Can somebody describe the differences in gripping and shooting a round butt FA 97 please.

I am going to order a 97. Which one to buy?
Any opinions welcome...

Well my order is placed.

Freedom Arms 97
357 mag
5-1/2" barrel
honed action
trigger set to 3-1/2 lbs
overtravel screw
micarta grips

Now I just have to sit back and wait for about four months.

That sounds like it will be a sweet one. Let us see pics when it arrives. 4 months will go by fast if you can keep from thinking about it every single day like I would.

A few pics of the Rugers (one 45 Colt and one 44 Mag) and FA .475 Linebaugh. If I had to start from scratch, I'd have the same .475 Linebaugh FA and another FA 454 Casull with a 45 Colt cylinder instead of the 2 Rugers. The 44 Mag just doesn't do it for me.






And I could have sworn I saw in this thread somebody said the Ruger cylinder is longer than the FA. Probably read it wrong and don't know if it applied to the Model 83, but here is a pic alongside my Ruger Bisley.

I think they were talking about the 97 cylinder being shorter than the Blackhawk.

VERY nice guns you have there. I have the same front sight on my FA .41 Magnum...FAs should put that one on instead of that stupid hard to see ramp.

Bob

Your photos show very well the different style of grip from the rugers to the FA.

I suspect that's why so many wind up slightly used for sale I've owned .44 mags for years - the first time I shot a 454, with 300's at 1600 fps, it was an eye opening experience!

They are beautifully made; I would still like to have one

Our guns are expected to be built in early June,but Tikka3006 and myself already have serial numbers for our model 97s.Now we just sit back and wait.

I had a reading of about 1.625 OAL on the 83 cylinder. Recessed rims? The Ruger 45 is 1.700, plus the .050 rim is 1.750, the custom ones I have to check.

The 83 was first right wasn't it? Haven't built revolvers for a while. I'll checks facts better next time.

The FA M83 cylinder on my .454 is 1.795" and it is recessed for cartridge rims reducing OAL a bit. The M97 (medium frame) cyl is approx 1.625 and is also recessed for rims.

Here's a couple of FA97s - both in .45 Colt. First is a 4 1/4" and the second is a 3 1/2" round butt with fluted cyl. A couple of light weight, easily packable power houses. They both handle recoil extremely well and are easy and fun to shoot.





Paul

Ahhhh. Wasn't thinking about the recessed rims. But still the FA should be longer as you calculated. But not by much.

I had to go to the web to get lengths, I'm at work and don't own a FA.Now I have to figure out where I got those lengths.........

Damn Quarter Bore People.............

I read the article wrong..........the 97 has the 1.625 length cylinder, on a medium frame...........

Mongo sorry.

A good buddy owns an FA97 in .45 Colt. It is easily the highest quality revolver he has, including a 3-screw Ruger massaged by a name 'smith. If you want quality, you want Freedom Arms. My only fuss about the piece is the relatively short cylinder. A fair selection of popular .45 bullets exceed the SAAMI spec overall length, and have to be deep-seated to be used. Slugs designed to remain within the SAAMI-spec overall length work just fine. That FA97 is a gem, and the grip frame fits my paw very well.

What are the legal uses for a handgun in Canada? Is any type of hunting allowed or is it strictly for target ranges?

Can you perceive a difference in recoil with the round butt?[b][/b]

Target use only in Canada.

Not sure how to answer that. For example, the 4 �� with standard grip frame is slightly less than 3 oz heavier than the 3 �� (on a 33 oz gun, that�s almost 10 percent). Also, the the extra �� of barrel mitigates recoil a bit. I was out shooting this afternoon. The load was a 300gr cast bullet over 21 gr of H110. My impression was that the 4 �� standard grip frame recoiled a bit less than the smaller gun. I wouldn�t necessarily attribute this to the difference in grip frames. I like both. You really have to personally handle these guns to appreciate how they feel in your hand. The 3 �� Round Butt was part of a package deal � I wouldn�t have bought it by itself. As it turns out, it is one of my favorite handguns. Not sure how well the round butt would work on anything over 4 ��. I have a 5 �� .357 that I don�t think would feel right to me with the Round Butt grip frame. If I had only one M97, it would be the standard grip frame model (in fact in would be the 4 �� shown above). Nothing feels more comfortable to me than the M97 platform (grip/grip frame, frame size, balance � it just works for me).

Now, with all that said � what works for me may or may not work for you or someone else (it is very likely it won�t). There are just too many variables to say how a grip/grip frame will feel in someone else�s hand.

Paul

Well, after a couple of weeks, I finally got a photo of mine:



The one on the left is a 5-1/2" 44 special I bought new; the one on the right is a 4-1/4" 357 mag I bought used. I had a clone of the 44 in 45 Colt, but it bit my knuckle too much so it went down the road. If I did it all over again, I would buy one - a 4-1/4" 44 special with micarta grips. But, I like both of these very much.

Tom

What do you like better about the micarta grips?

I like the looks of them, and they are slicker in my hand. Just the way they feel. Don't get me wrong, the rosewood are really nice, too.

Cool forum, glad I stumbled onto this place.

I have a question regarding the octagon barrels on the Freedom Arms revolvers. Is there any advantage to getting this option besides aesthetics? Thx

They are heavier, length for length, than a round barrel, so there is some additional recoil damping. And they just look really cool....

Good to know, and they do look stunning.

Thx for the reply.

Since I've developed an interest in these but never fired one, I have a couple of questions.

My primary interest is in the Model 83 in 454, most likely with a 45LC cylinder. My questions are regarding barrel length. For those who have fired the 7 1/2 and 10 inch barreled guns...did you have a preference? Was the recoil difference worth the extra weight and hassle of carry? Were you more accurate with one vs the other? Did one balance and 'feel' better to shoot vs the other?

Thx in advance.

Are you going to use it for hunting or silhouette/target? Are you going to scope it?

I'd prefer a 6" or would go max of 7-1/2". I just prefer around 5-1/2" barrels. But to each his own.

Hunting. I'll most likely not scope it, although I may look into a red dot sight...which won't exactly add weight.

The thing is, I've never fired a revolver with a barrel longer than 7-1/2"...and while the long barrel seems like kind if a pain to carry, the benefits are intriguing.

I definitely shot the 7-1/2" better than the 6's I've fired.

I guess the best way to ask this is: does anyone have a 10" barrel and wish they'd gone with 7-1/2" or vice versa?